Disney Super Fastpass?

[Toocherie]

The OC Register is reporting this morning that Disney Parks has a program in development which would give visitors a super-fastpass by which they could schedule ride times, Character meets and other resort amenities. While not a huge surprise given some of the surveys Disney has recently taken, there are no details available as to what the cost of the program would be for visitors, when it is going to be implemented or what effect it would have on visitors who choose not to take advantage of the program. It is also unclear as to whether the program would only be available to resort hotel guests or could be bought as a separate package.

[candles71]

I refuse to pay for a "Flash Pass" at 6 flags, I don't see myself paying for one at Disney. People have no patience. Granted we go off season and won't wait in a line longer than 20 minutes, with a few exceptions. We like and use fast pass just as it is.

[dcbell05]

Agreed Candles!

I will never pay for this type of service. If they do implement something and do away with the regular fast pass, I will be a lot less inclined to renew my AP. Very sad.

[stan4d_steph]

Seems to me like this will just create another layer of anxiety for people trying to plan their vacations. I would not want to have to decide what time I would ride in advance of my day. Does this mean you would be locked into that time? Just seems like more of a headache to me.

[GusMan]

I will admit that when it comes to our vacation, we love to plan things. However, this is just another layer of complexity that is going to confuse and frustrate people. Not to mention that if there is an extra cost, you are now putting people into different tiers, of which I am not a fan. Although, I may be swayed a little bit if this was a free service for those staying on site. But then again, we all know that nothing is really free and the service can be used to justify rising hotel costs. (Pure speculation.)

Personally, I think something like this may look real good on paper as it is something of controlled queuing. That may be very good in the peak season. However, the first time that a family uses the system gets denied their reservation of whatever activity because they decided to do something else beforehand and are now 2,3,4 hours late, you can bet that the outcries will begin.

[Toocherie]

Just a thought, but we know that Disney's IT group has challenges (I would think with the money they must spend on IT they could get it right more often than they do). I am already dreading on-line DVC booking for the nightmares that will ensue; I can't imagine them coming up with a "user-friendly" system that will allow such a complex scheduling program to actually work. I foresee lots of problems in the future . . . . I also think there will be outcries when people who either don't know about the new program or can't afford it are stuck waiting in much longer lines because of the people with the Super Fastpass. Kinda takes the Magic out of things, doesn't it?

[DisVCGeek]

IF they make it a properly working system (excellent points about the Mouse's IT staff, BTW) and perhaps only allow half the ride or shows capacity to be pre-scheduled in order to accommodate walk ins I like this idea.

I am a planner and would LOVE it if park schedules and dining were available to be booked @ 11 months out so I can go online and book my DVC home resort and at least parts of the rest of my trip in one fell swoop. I may add and tweak things later, but I like having things in the pipeline ahead of time. Like my 3 WDW trips currently booked in May, Sep, and Jan!

Now IF there were an extra cost I don't know that I would pay for it though; like some others I almost always go off-season and don't usually have big lines to contend with... Being a perk for staying on-site {as long as DVC on points is included!} seems fair though.

[mzloolue]

I have noticed that sometimes the fast passes for popular attractions, like Expediton Everest and Soarin', run out early in the day.

To get a fast pass it was necessary to be at the park at opening and go straight to those attractions.

And the regular wait times were also

I wonder how this new system would work when there are already not enough slots for all who want to ride.

[houseofmouse]

News article from a press release: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110218/..._home_computer

Personally I would not like it too much. Maybe a few opportunities for Meet and Greet but to time my whole day of rides? Not so much. No set release date for the parks.

[Drince88]

I hope they do not roll this out - but if they do, I REALLY REALLY hope they wait until after the new double-Dumbo is up and running, and they have some experience with the new 'wait' system THAT attraction is supposed to have.

[Bytebear]

The system does seem a bit convoluted, having to plan ahead of time which fast passes you want.

I can see better and easier ways to make it work:

* Have fast pass kiosks scattered around the park where you can pick a ride without running around the park from attraction to attraction.

* make it work like the AAA unlimited fast pass where you can get passes without the 2 hour wait time.

* Have a special Fast Pass card that just lets you use the fast pass lines indefinitely. (This is a card equivalent to having a personal host/hostess).

* have a mobile app that works like a fastpass machine. I can see people paying big bucks for the app, maybe paying for a day at a time.

[olegc]

two things come to mind..

the whole fastpass runout. today they basically add up how many in an hour, etc., which is why on busy days they run out sooner. only so much capacity for rides. Now, instead of maybe 11 am or 12 noon on a busy holiday day being the final time to grab a fastpass (for late in the evening) it may run out by 10am or 9am if a lot of people pay in advance (assuming they can't do real magic and change the capacity). yes, true, some of the people who pay are the ones who did not before - but my guess is that they'd like to segment as much as possible while still increasing revenue.. odd mix - expand usage by limiting access - so we have to wait and see.

the second is in the dining. When they first made BB and CO preferred seating mostly they did not take any walkups. then that was relaxed a little. now with far in advance booking, etc., how does that impact any plans. This - and the whole hotel pay-to-play survey that was shared in another thread seems to be at odds with how Disneyland's demographics are.

It just seems to me again there are folks in a room trying to increase multi-day attendance and be "just like WDW" when, in fact, DLR won't be for a long time and may never be.....

[katierella]

They need to do what the ski resorts do and that is I pay an extra $20 on top of my lift ticket so I can go to the front of the line. Time is money and it works well for individuals, the corporation, and the stock holders!

I would do this in a second if Disney offered it!

[olegc]

They need to do what the ski resorts do and that is I pay an extra $20 on top of my lift ticket so I can go to the front of the line. Time is money and it works well for individuals, the corporation, and the stock holders!

I would do this in a second if Disney offered it!

i doubt it would be a nominal or even reasonable upgrade to a regular ticket. according to the stories today it's intended for the multi-day guest and will be packaged with other things. Not a lot of details but my guess is that making it available for a day guest will be a secondary thought.

[CelandineSue]

I heard this somewhere too. The advantage is supposed to be that you can plan your day around children, schedule meals etc. I can see some advantages, but would have to weigh the expense. As a Grandma, bringing the little ones might be a whole lot easier if they could do the really important stuff and still get a nap. That would be worth some bucks.

[olegc]

to me - plan is being used in place of access. nothing wrong with that - but if you don't want to wait - you pay. plain and simple. I just wonder what kind of penalties you may incur if for some reason you have to miss a session of meal. And - there is planning and then there is sometimes the need for spontaneity (read - magic). that tends to go away with too many details planned ahead.

[AdoraNora]

Plan every moment of a vacation sounds ridiculous & not a vacation at all but a well planned meeting. I don't think that's what people were looking for in thier responses about the wait times. It's creative & another opportunity to make a $. I just think it's safe to think that they wanted more people at rides attractions & character meet & greets working. Keeping things smooth. Yes there are a lot of people working at Disneyland but a few more well placed cast members would be great. Like why send Stitch out without a camera person or at least one cast member to facilitate the line? Well maybe because Disney has 3-4 with Mickey due to popularity. Maybe have both sides running on the Matterhorn ALL day. Not just till the fireworks ends? I love my Disneyland & a lot of the changes make it a better experience. I think this one is a less then great idea. Some of our families best stories at Disneyland are remembering waiting for a primo spot for the fireworks in front of the castle playing games eating ice cream. Getting lucky seeing Mickey when we first walk in to the Main St. USA. It's the journey not the planning. I don't want to get squeezed out of these memories because I didn't buy a Disney package deal. I hope they hear the masses that agree & have a change of heart.

[crazee4mm]

A billion plus dollars so that they can maximize their revenue streams. Why not just build more attractions to absorb the masses? Disney is no longer the place(s) to go to find some "magic". You go there to wait in long lines, pay incredibly high prices for food and merchandise of mediocre quality, and get treated like a "mark". Recently I was walking toward the exit of Disneyland and some change was jingling in my pocket. A total stranger came over to me and told me that if Mickey heard money in my pocket, he'd would mug before he'd let me leave the park with any. That is what he mentality is of late. Bean counters are notoriously short on "magic" and long on number crunching.